be free, be happy, be peaceful

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Happiness is the moment we are free from the identification with the egoistic mind and the conditioned impermanent physical body, and uninfluenced by egoism and all the impurities or afflictions that arise from egoism, being free from craving and aversion towards pleasant and unpleasant experiences.

"Happiness" that derives from fulfilling our egoistic worldly desires of want and don't want, is impermanent and non-satisfying.

When we know how to stop being determined by all the good and bad, pleasant or unpleasant, agreeable and disagreeable experiences in this life existence to be happy or not, to be confident or not, we are happy as we are, not because of the qualities of names and forms that the mind experiences through the function of the body and the senses.

We do our best, live to the fullest, and make good use of all the opportunities and abilities that we have in this life existence to be serving ourselves and others, but not being determined by all these actions and the fruit of actions, success and failure, praise and condemn, to be who we are, or to be happy and confident or not.

When we are free, we don't have to forget the bad, unpleasant or disagreeable experiences, as all these experiences have no qualities, or intention, or power to make us unhappy, or give us unhappiness. The memories of all the past unpleasant or undesirable experiences will still be here and there, but we are no longer being determined by all these unpleasant experiences or memories to be in a state of unhappiness. Being free from the state of unhappiness, is happiness.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Many
'yoga teachers' believe in and preach about yoga (asana) practice can
help to improve low self-esteem or to develop self-confidence. It makes
people feel good about themselves and have higher self-confidence when
they are able to perform certain asana poses that they couldn't perform
before.

There's no doubt that yoga (asana) practice can help to
improve one's self-esteem or to increase self-confidence, but this is
not the objective of yoga practice at all.

Know that
self-esteem or self-confidence is part of the characteristics or
qualities of egoism. When the ego is eliminated, there's no such thing
as improving self-esteem or to increase/boost/develop self-confidence.

When we know what is the ego and let go of this ego, we don't need any encouragements or compliments from anyone to motivate us to be doing what we are doing, or to be better, or to feel good about ourselves. We also will not be demotivated by not getting any encouragements or compliments, nor be determined by criticism or condemn. Real yoga practice can be very uncomfortable for the egoistic mind, as it is about eliminating the ego, letting go of desires of wants and don't wants, craving and aversion. It's not about giving what the mind likes and wants, but it's stop giving what the mind likes and wants. And usually the ego will reject this type of yoga practice, as it is like asking the ego to 'retire' and be silent. Om shanti.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Some people want to be ordinary and some people want to be extraordinary.

There's nothing wrong with either way. It is everyone's freedom to be what we want to be.

Yoga practice is going beyond all the qualities of names and forms. There's no difference whether our body and mind possess some ordinary qualities or extraordinary qualities.

In the end, it's not about our egoistic desires of what we want to become and what we don't want to become. It's not about changing ourselves to be somebody that we like us to be which we are not in the present moment now.

When the egoism is eliminated, there's no identification with any qualities of names and forms of this life existence through the function of the body and mind.

It's allowing the reality of the present moment now to be what it is. There's no identification with the impermanent qualities of names and forms of the body and mind to be who we are.

Without the desire of craving to become somebody with certain qualities of names and forms that we like, and without the desire of aversion not to become somebody with certain qualities of names and forms that we don't like.

We are peaceful as we are, not because we are somebody with certain qualities of names and forms that we want to be.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

People
who come from the same cultural or religious background, and live in
the same country will have different ways of thinking and points of
view, different understanding and individual perception about
everything. Sometimes people who come from different cultural or
religious background, or live in other country can have better
perspective, understanding and empathy towards what is going on in a
particular culture, religion and country.

And so, anybody also can give their opinions about everything, whether our minds can or cannot agree with them.

Neither
aggressive nor submissive... Remove the 'I', 'my' and 'I am'. Remove
all the identifications with different qualities of names and forms.
Realize selflessness or oneness. Perform actions without attachment and
renounce the fruit of actions. Actions are being performed from a mind
that is free from ignorance, egoism, attachment, identification,
craving, aversion, desire or intention, judgment, expectation, fear and
worry. Om shanti.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Does
your itchy back say thank you to your shoulder for bringing your arm
behind, and thank you to your elbow and wrist for bringing your forearm
and hand to the point of itchiness, and thank you to the fingers and
fingernails for scratching the point of itchiness? As there were some
actions involved and there's great relief from itchiness.

What if the
fingernails are too sharp and hurt the skin of the back? Does the skin of the back gets upset with the fingernails? Do the
fingernails feel guilty and apologize to the skin of the back, or blame the elbow
and wrist for bringing the forearm and hand to the point of itchiness,
and blame the shoulder for bringing the arm behind? As there were some
actions involved and there are some damages generated.

See things differently from different points of view...

When we take too seriously about certain cultural practice or religious teachings, and attached strongly towards what we believe and think is acceptable or appropriate 'normal' behavior, we don't just create lots of unnecessary 'problems' for ourselves, but we will also generate lots of unnecessary 'problems' for other people.

If
there's a God, God must be having so much fun watching some people
who self-appointed themselves as representatives of God to 'control' what
other people should and shouldn't think, or do, or say, or eat, or sit,
or walk, or sleep, or shit, or breathe... Be happy.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Forgive, forget, compassion, meditation, being in the present moment now...

Forgive ourselves, as it is our own responsibility for allowing our mind being in the state of painful sorrow and feel hurt. Forgive others, who might intentionally or unintentionally generate actions or speech that inflict painful sorrow and hurt to our mind.

Forgiveness needs to be followed by forgetting. Forgive and forget, by letting go, or not attached to the past experiences whether pleasant or unpleasant experiences. No craving or clinging onto the pleasant experiences that we liked. No aversion towards the unpleasant experiences that we disliked.

To be able to forgive and forget, we need to be able to be compassionate towards all beings. Being compassionate towards ourselves means we stop hurting ourselves physically, mentally and emotionally by letting go of anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, dissatisfaction, disappointment, fear, worry, hurtful feelings, painful sorrow, anxieties, expectation, and etc. When we know how to be compassionate towards ourselves, naturally we are being compassionate towards other beings, as we won't intentionally generate any hurtful thoughts, actions and speech towards other beings when ourselves is at peace, being free from all kinds of impurities and negativities.

Meditate regularly to train the mind to be in the present moment now. Meditate by simply observing the natural incoming and outgoing breath. Allow the breath to be what it is, without judgment, comparison or expectation. Be free from being determined or influenced by pleasant and unpleasant past memories or experiences. Be free from being influenced by future anticipations, imaginations, speculations, hopes and expectations. Be free from craving and clinging onto the pleasant experiences, and be free from aversion towards the unpleasant experiences. Eventually the mind will be in the present moment now, naturally and effortlessly, be free from craving and aversion.

When the mind is free from the past and the future which doesn't exist at all in the reality of the present moment now, being free from craving and aversion, the mind will be free from all sorts of disturbance, affliction, painful sorrow, hurtful feelings, doubts, anxieties, dissatisfaction, disappointment, fear and worry. The mind is at peace.

It is not what is happening or what had happened that is/was unpleasant which cause us to experience painful sorrow or hurt. It is the untrained or impure mind that has generated all these painful sorrow and hurtful feelings in the mind itself when the mind comes in contact with the reality that it doesn't like, and when it doesn't come in contact with the reality that it likes. The mind endlessly tricks or deceives itself. It feels upset or unhappy because the reality is not the way that it likes it to be. We are fooled by our own mind.

As pleasant and unpleasant feelings arise due to the reactions in the mind towards past experiences or memories that it liked and disliked. Memories (past experiences) are a bunch of rapid moving images projected in the mind based on whatever the mind comes in contact with through the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body sensation and thinking faculty. When there is attachment, we get caught in the stream of all these images, thinking that they are one piece of 'something' that has the good and bad quality that we like and dislike, and will either gives us happiness or unhappiness. When there is no attachment towards all these images, these images are just countless images arising and passing away in the mind. They have no power nor intention to give happiness or unhappiness.

If we know how to keep the mind to be in the present moment now, or to be in the state of meditation, there's no attachment towards whatever that is happening right now, not to say whatever that had happened in the past, whether these pleasant or unpleasant experiences are something that we like or dislike, agree and disagree with. As everything that the mind is experiencing now, are just countless images arising and passing away. They have no particular meanings or qualities to be something happy or suffering, nor to give us happiness or suffering.

When there is no attachment towards whatever the mind perceives through the senses, there is no need to practice forgiveness nor to forget anything, as there is nothing there for us to forgive and forget. All experiences are just impermanent images in the mind arising and passing away.

Unpleasant memories of the past unpleasant experiences might continue to reappear in the mind from time to time, but they no longer determine or influence the mind to feel unhappy. This is real forgetting. It is free from continuing being determined or influenced by past pleasant or unpleasant experiences for how the mind feels in the present moment now. It doesn't mean that we completely don't remember anything that we experienced in the past, or deleting all our memories of past experiences.

It is the craving and aversion towards certain meanings or qualities that the mind projects onto the names and forms, that cause itself to feel happy or unhappy based on whether the mind comes in contact with the reality that it likes and dislikes, wants and doesn't want.

Wake up from this delusion, and be free.

It is not about changing the reality that we don't like and disagree with into something that we like and can agree with. It is allowing the reality to be what it is, even if it is not pleasant, it is not something that we like nor can agree with.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

The warm climate, the sea air, the slow pace of life and the tranquil environment all make Langkawi the ideal yoga destination.

If you are new to yoga, then a yoga retreat will give you a
comprehensive introduction to this ancient practice. If you are already
an experienced yoga practitioner then you will be able to deepen your
yoga practice in a peaceful and beautiful setting.

Friday, January 3, 2014

"If the people who do a lot of good actions and they will go to heaven after death, and the people who do a lot of bad actions and they will go to hell after death, then where will the people go after death, if they do equal amount of good and bad actions? It seems like these people are not qualified for heaven or hell... And if according to the teachings in certain religions, that if their followers have not perfected themselves in accordance to the religious teachings, or they abandon or stop practicing the teachings of their religion, then they will be judged as sinful beings, and will be punished in this life time by their religion authorities, as well as they will be condemned to hell after death, then why do people still want to get involve in these religions and be 'conditioned' and 'restricted' in such religious teachings?"

If anyone takes up Buddhism or Yoga practice, and then abandons the practice, or has not attain perfection or success in the practice, or is not behaving in accordance to the observances in the teachings of Buddhism or Yoga, there is no such judgment of being sinful, nor there will be punishment from any 'authorities', as there is no 'authority' in Buddhism and Yoga practice. If there is an authority that will be there to punish us for behaving 'badly' under the Buddhism or Yoga practice, then this person will be our own self. We are the witness of the consequences of our own actions, that's all.

The only common thing is that there will be pleasant and unpleasant consequences of actions, it doesn't matter if we are having a religion or not, or whether we are practicing the teachings of Buddhism and Yoga or not, or whether we perform all these practices correctly or not. But the consequences of our actions are not necessarily based on the standards coming from our mind
about what are right and wrong actions, good and bad actions, as what
our mind believes what things are, is not necessary the truth of what
things really are.

When we expect to receive certain pleasant consequences coming from our 'right' and 'good' actions, but then what we actually experience are really unpleasant consequences, then know that either it is because what our mind believes what is right and good is not necessarily the truth of what things really are. It is not because the law of Karma or cause and effect is not true. Or it is because the real consequences or the end result have yet to be ripened. Be patient to see the end result of our actions.

The point is, if we are practicing Buddhism or Yoga, we do not attach to our actions, nor have any expectation towards the result of our actions, but to allow the result or the fruit of actions to be what they are. It is about perform all our actions without attachment towards our actions and the fruit of our actions.

Freedom, peace and happiness is in this present moment now, it is not in the future after death, whether we will go to heaven or hell according to our behavior in this life experience. As freedom, peace and happiness is nothing to do with being in heaven or hell, or "somewhere in between" after death. It is in this present moment now, whether we are free from egoism and ignorance, or not.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

In the traditional teachings of yoga about yoga practice, it depends very much on the level of self-discipline and self-control of the yoga student, whether the yoga student can mix freely in the society, or the yoga student requires certain amount of solitary and restriction about who the student mixes with.

As well as whether the yoga student is easily being distracted, disturbed, affected or influenced by other people's thinking and behavior.

Yoga is about meditation, sublimating the modifications of the mind to transcend the perception of names and forms. Reducing inputs and outputs of the mind, or quieting the mind activities is part of the important practice for meditation.

There are some important observances that can help to quiet the mind for realization of the truth to transcend names and forms, especially for those who have no strong self-discipline and self-control yet, such like reducing newspaper and novels reading or movies watching, avoid excessive physical activities, talking, eating, mingling or any activities that will stimulate the mind, and make the mind very busy.

If the yoga student has very strong self-discipline and self-control, and is not easily being distracted nor influenced by anyone that the student mixes with, and is not being affected nor determined by the worldly activities that the student involves with, then this student can mix freely with anyone and engage in any worldly activities, but these activities will not affect nor distract the student's spiritual practice.

To be compassionate towards ourselves and other beings, we need to take care of our own practice first. We need to know who we shall mix with, and have certain degrees of restriction and limitation, so that our mind will not be distracted nor influenced by worldly passionate influences that will pull us away from our practice.

If mixing with certain people will allow us to develop dispassion and right discrimination (knowing what is real and unreal), then these are the Satsanga that we shall mix with.

If mixing with certain people will pull us away from dispassion and right discrimination, then these are the Kutsanga that we need to keep a distance.

This is not being selfish, but it's an noble action, to take care of our own practice, before we can take care of other beings.

If we think we are practicing 'compassion', try to be 'compassionate' towards other beings, and try to help other beings to be free from negativities and suffering, but ourselves has not yet develop firmness in our own practice of non-attachment, dispassion and right discrimination, and easily being disturbed, affected, influenced and determined by whatever the mind perceives through the senses of what it sees, hears, smells, tastes, touches and thinks, being influenced by likes and dislikes, agreements and disagreements derive from egoism, then we need to have some kind of filtration or restriction about who we mix with and what type of activities we engage with.

How can we help other beings to be free from negativities, if we are easily being influenced by other people's negativities? How can we help the world to be free from negativities when we are vibrating negativities into the world?

We need to be able to take care ourselves first before we can take care of others.

To be able to help the world to be a better place, it requires wisdom and compassion, dispassion and right discrimination, non-attachment and selflessness/egolessness.

This teaching is a guideline for those who seriously want to transcend
egoism, ignorance and suffering. As it appears to be something
'horrible' or 'disagreeable' for those who enjoy gratifying craving and aversion,
who don't like about self-discipline and self-control, who are
passionate and not interested in transcending egoism, ignorance and
suffering. There's nothing wrong with being worldly minded, and busy
with gratifying the ceaseless craving and aversion of the egoistic mind. Be happy.